Ma Hongjun's face flushed red at his words. He wanted to flare up, but Dai Mubai held him down tightly. Dai Mubai looked at Chen Chu and said solemnly, "It is Oscar's honor that the general thinks highly of him, but what does the general want Oscar for? Surely you do not mean for him to enlist under you?"
"No need. I will not force him." Chen Chu shook his head. "He can stay at Shrek Academy. I can still provide him with resources.
When he finally comes around, when he is willing to trade his abilities for a future and no longer waste his talent, he can come find me in Heaven Dou City. Go to my residence, and someone there will receive him."
Only then did Oscar finally speak, his voice still slightly hoarse. "Why should I believe you?"
Chen Chu turned around, his expression calm. "I would not stoop to deceiving you."
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red—seven spirit rings flashed past. The three of them stared wide-eyed at the departing figure, unable to recover for a long while.
After witnessing that scene, a seed was planted deep within Oscar's heart.
Meanwhile, at the military camp outside Suotuo City, Ao Tian leaned against a tree trunk, idly playing with the Rubik's Cube in his hand. Suddenly, he sensed several unfamiliar presences.
His expression changed, his gaze sharpening as he immediately locked onto those figures. Nearly twenty mysterious people dressed in black were sneaking toward the storehouses where provisions and military supplies were kept.
The nearly twenty figures scattered apart, each carrying oil-soaked burlap as they headed straight for the various grain depots.
Most of the camp's lights had already gone out. Only the soldiers on night patrol still carried lanterns, their orderly footsteps striking the dirt road with clear, rhythmic taps that echoed through the night.
The man responsible for guarding the grain depot was an old soldier whose face had been weathered by the years. Holding a brand-new saber, he was making his usual rounds through the tents when he suddenly caught a faint scent of tung oil.
The old soldier frowned, stopped in his tracks, and sniffed again in disbelief.
This was the military supply depot. That smell should not have been there. He raised a hand to signal the new recruits behind him to stop, then crouched low and slowly made his way toward the side entrance of the grain depot.
The shadows had already reached the gate. Their leader was prying at the bolt with a dagger, moving with incredible speed. The old soldier's heart lurched at the sight. Holding his breath, he suddenly straightened and swung his saber. "Who goes there? Are you looking to die?"
The shout was not loud, but it made the nearly twenty shadows stiffen all over. Their leader reacted quickly, kicking open the storehouse door and tossing the oilcloth in his hand onto a haystack. The fire striker on his body flared to life with a hiss.
"Assassins! They're burning the provisions!" the old soldier roared. There was no time to think further as he brought his saber down on the nearest shadow.
The camp was instantly thrown into an uproar. Soldiers sleeping in the nearby tents grabbed their weapons and rushed out at the warning, their battle cries tearing through the night sky.
Seeing this, the twenty shadows stopped hiding. They drew their short blades and charged toward the piles of provisions, trying to set them ablaze amid the chaos.
"Stop them! Don't let them light the fire!" Several old soldiers slashed one shadow's arm, spraying blood across the haystack. Though the recruits were panicked, their training held firm. They quickly formed a formation and surrounded the shadows.
The men in black were all soul masters, with even the weakest among them being Soul Elders. Their spirit rings were especially conspicuous.
But what they had not expected was that the soldiers in this camp would be so fierce. Though they were ordinary people, they still dared to use the advantages of their Military Formation and charge at soul masters with their blades.
Quite a few had already fallen beneath the spears of the Military Formation.
"Damn Star Luo dogs!" An old soldier spat out blood. He was covered in wounds, yet he still charged straight ahead. "The general said it himself—if the provisions are lost, we will face military punishment! Kill them!"
More and more soldiers gathered, sealing in the remaining shadows without the slightest gap. They had intended to end this quickly, burn the provisions, and flee, but the camp's defenses were far tighter than they had imagined. They could not find even a single opening to break through.
Their leader panicked and unleashed his Fifth Spirit Ability. Earth-yellow Soul Power exploded outward, sending a group of soldiers flying. Just as he was about to rush out, Chen Chu pierced his chest with an arrow from behind. He collapsed to the ground and quickly lost all signs of life.
Before long, all twenty shadows were sprawled across the ground, blood flowing everywhere and soaking the earth before the grain depot.
The commanders panted heavily as they directed the soldiers to clear away the corpses and inspect the piles of provisions for any places that had caught fire.
All the lights in the camp had been lit as well. Soldiers bustled back and forth, yet no one noticed that a figure stood atop a tree in the distant woods, his black robes snapping in the wind.
Snake Lance Douluo gripped his Snake Lance martial soul, his face dark. He had planned to wait until the Star Luo people burned the provisions and threw the camp into chaos, then take the opportunity to kill Chen Chu. Killing a mere seven-ring Soul Sage in a military camp should have been effortless. Yet those Star Luo fools had failed at even such a simple task. Twenty soul masters had actually been discovered and worn down to death by a group of ordinary soldiers.
"Trash." Snake Lance Douluo snorted coldly and stopped waiting. His figure flashed as he shot toward Chen Chu's central command tent. He moved with incredible speed, his black robes nearly becoming a shadow as he was about to reach the tent entrance.
Suddenly, a streak of golden light shot from a nearby tree trunk, aiming straight for his back. Snake Lance Douluo's expression changed as he spun around sharply, raising the Snake Lance before him. With a crisp clang, the golden light struck the spear shaft, numbing his arms from the impact.
Ao Tian leaped down from the tree. The Rubik's Cube in his hand had vanished, replaced by a crimson-gold spear still carrying ripples of Soul Power.
He stared coldly at Snake Lance Douluo, his voice icy and thunderous. "You have some nerve, barging into my territory."
Snake Lance's mind buzzed from the furious shout. He stared at Ao Tian in the distance in horror.
"Who are you?" Nine spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—lit up around Snake Lance as he fixed his gaze on Ao Tian, facing him as though confronting a great enemy.
"Who am I?" Ao Tian's eyes shone brightly as he hurled the crimson-gold spear with all his strength. "The one who will kill you!"
Feeling that aura, Snake Lance's eyes nearly split apart. He did not dare be careless in the slightest. He summoned his martial soul, unleashed his Spirit Avatar and Eighth Spirit Ability, and charged forward as well.
The crimson-gold spear tore through the air, thrusting straight at Snake Lance Douluo's face. Just as Snake Lance Douluo unleashed his Spirit Avatar, the Snake Lance expanded several yards, covered in black patterns. His Eighth Spirit Ability, Snake Spear Shatters Mountains, had only just gathered its Soul Power when the spear struck it head-on.
Clang—
The tremendous impact made the ground beneath the camp tremble. Black Soul Power and golden light exploded at once, and the shockwave directly blew away the surrounding tents.
Snake Lance Douluo felt searing pain in his arms. Cracks had actually appeared in his Spirit Avatar. He staggered several steps backward, blood rising in his throat before he spat out a mouthful.
Ao Tian flashed forward, instantly catching the rebounding crimson-gold spear in his hand. His gaze blazed. "So what if you are a nine-ring Titled Douluo? Before me, you are still not enough!"
Snake Lance Douluo's face turned deathly pale. He had not expected these people to be this powerful. That strike just now contained Soul Power far more profound than that of an ordinary Titled Douluo. If this dragged on until the camp surrounded him, he would undoubtedly die.
Happy National Day, everyone!
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